Bucket Fishermen

[Texas bassman]

But it's true people from other countries think it's stupid to throw back fish. My Mexican neighbors always give me **** about it. I say it's a sport and a passion something you know nothing about. Smh. It's true almost every other place in the world people fish or hunt for food. Here in America it's just for fun! Yea buddy

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Catch and release is gaining in popularity all over the world. Catch and release toman (giant snakehead) fishing is the norm in Thailand, for instance. Whatever the attitudes of bass fisherman are, it's hard to argue with the fact that we hook them in the face and manhandle them. Imagine if you went to take a bite out of a sandwich and then a t-rigged hook pops out of the bread and pulls you by your lips up to a space ship. Bass fishing is not in the best interest of the bass (though bass fisherman do a fine job of being stewards to the environment in many ways.) 

 

With that said I have to agree with the other posters that make the point that if people are fishing within the law, then it's their business what they do with the fish. The bottom line is that when a sustenance fisherman kills a fish it gets eaten, but when a 'sportsman' inadvertently kills a fish nobody knows where it ends up. 

[mjseverson24]

Up here in the north, we generally dont eat bass. we have walleye, pike and panfish for eating. we have Muskie and Bass for sport, so we dont have a huge problem with people harvesting them. I wish they would make keeping bass illegal over 15" unless you are in an active tournament event. I also wish a similar regulation would be put on muskie except a catch and release policy only for them. Selective harvest is a good thing, taking out the larger fish is not. Bucket fishermen dont usually bother me because they generally suck at fishing. I was one once, and I sucked then if I caught a few fish It was a good day. eat other fish leave the sportfish.

 

Mitch

[SirSnookalot]

The issue is bucket fisherman, bass and how it affects people that like to sport fish.  Any legally caught bass the owner of that fish has the right to do as they wish with it.  When fish are caught undersized, over bag limits or netting, the state game authority has to be more involved.  With budget cuts in most areas, we are going in the wrong direction, we need more not less wardens on patrol.  As citizens all we can do is alert authorities, to be personally involved may be an unwise act.  I'm not about to jeopardize my safety for a fish, I get hurt or worse that affects my family.

[BassThumb]

These threads are like beating a dead horse. I would like to see MORE people keeping little fish from my local lakes. They're often way overpopulated with little bass. I would do it myself but I just don't like bass meat.

[Basspastor]

These threads are like beating a dead horse. I would like to see MORE people keeping little fish from my local lakes. They're often way overpopulated with little bass. I would do it myself but I just don't like bass meat.

Ask around and find some people you know that wouldn't mind a few bass fillets.  I have 3 people I give fish too and for one of them I don't even have to clean them.

[K_Mac]

An interesting thread, although I figured it would have been locked by now. I agree completely that poaching is not in anyone's best interest, other than maybe the ones breaking the law. I have reminded other bass fishermen of the rules a time or two over the years with mixed reactions. Now if I see someone breaking the law I call the Hotline number and report it. Life is too short, and people are too crazy to risk a confrontation. It is easy to posture about how bad we are here in the safety of the interwebz, but my crazy pales in comparison to some out there. I am committed to promoting C&R, and controlled harvest. As Dirty Harry once said, "A man has got to know his limitations."

[Fish Chris]

Those people so rarely catch anything that would even interest me in the first place.

 

It cracks me up how those people think they can sit in one spot, and let the fish come to them. Conceivable maybe, especially with catfish or certain other "roaming" species, but not likely that  they will catch a bunch of anything, impressive.

 

99% of the time, I see people like this using their bucket for nothing more than a chair.

 

Fish

[prjavelin]

Fish Chris when I was a bucket fisherman and I fished from shore I remember having days where the stringers had to be carried by two people in their shoulders. We could catch a ton of tilapia, shellcrackers and catfish. It does happen, fish move and for some reason it can start a fishing frenzy when a bunch start biting. I guess other nearby join in. 

 

 

Edit: As the head of the family if I was in deep ****, I would fish and keep my 10 bass a day and feed my family with it. 

 

also when the zombie apocalypse starts im gonna make an island in the center of the lake or sea and live off of it. 

[RyneB]

I just hate when they leave there garbage everywhere. Or when they clean there fish as they catch them, and just throw the remains on the shore.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

While I was out on the water today I got to thinking of this thread.

 

As mentioned before, bucket fishermen don't bother me at all if they are within the law. One thing that does really bug me though is bass boats that speed through no-wake zones at 40+ MPH. And bass boaters who have no regard for the safety of others on the water give all of us a bad name. I can't tell you how often I see this, and it's really lame.

 

Another thought that came to mind was that many heavily invested bass fisherman are as ignorant to fishing knowledge as their bucket sitting counterparts. I can't tell you how many times I've been out on the water in my canoe and witnessed guys in $50,000 boats get skunked when the bite was good and the fishing was easy, throwing the same baits (probably a spinnerbait) all day and never getting so much as a bite (meanwhile I can't keep the fish off of my t-rig or ds.) The point being that ignorance doesn't discriminate at all (race, economic class, region or otherwise.) Perhaps the bucket fisherman is smarter than the guy in the Nitro, as buckets only cost a few bucks. 

 

My 2¢.   

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I just hate when they leave there garbage everywhere. Or when they clean there fish as they catch them, and just throw the remains on the shore.

Agreed. Littering is just ghetto. I see guys in boats do that stuff too (like throwing cigarette butts or used plastics in the water.) Bow fisherman in these parts shoot gar and just throw them on the bank to rot. What a waste. 

[nascar2428]

A lot of good stuff in here. I realize that what I did was immature and I hope nobody thinks the worse of me. Just let the thread die now.

I thought this might need repeating.

[GaBankFisher]

Where I'm from (south Georgia) "bucket fishing" is kinda part of the culture for a lot of folks. I've got a ton of great memories bucket fishing. I've never looked down on that style of fishing or those who do it. Of course I do look down on law-breakers though.

[0119]

And it still remains that the real issue here is, if we cannot stick together as anglers we will one day suffer the lose of our right to our hobby.  If experienced, respectable, published anglers like Fish Chris consider a bank angler with such disdain...... we have fell right into PETA's planned trap.  Sorry Chris nothing personal meant, I respect everything you write and enjoy success in the tactics you expressed in Catfish Insider.  A bushmaster is going to be illegal to possess soon.    A simple -3" blade pocket knife is illegal to have in your pocket in many public places.  One day it might just be illegal to possess a Zebco.

[Hyrule Bass]

Those people so rarely catch anything that would even interest me in the first place.

 

It cracks me up how those people think they can sit in one spot, and let the fish come to them. Conceivable maybe, especially with catfish or certain other "roaming" species, but not likely that  they will catch a bunch of anything, impressive.

 

99% of the time, I see people like this using their bucket for nothing more than a chair.

 

Fish

 

 

This is just flat out wrong. Just because some people dont have the luxury of a boat doesnt mean they dont know how to fish and how to fish well, and that they never catch anything. I catch plenty from the shore, though i dont keep fish for myself to eat, i fish for my own enjoyment. your preference is different, youre a trophy hunter, youre out looking for that double digit bass, or those big stripers, or huge sturgeon, or that catfish bite you found that time on clear lake. from shore youre chance of catching or finding those huge fish lessons, which i think is skewing your perspective here. and if bucket fishermen never catch anything, then how come many here are complaining about them keeping bass? hell, even bluegill for that matter...

[chromedog]

I have no problem with people keeping fish.  As long as it is legal, it is their right.  Just cause the majority of us fish with lures and throw everything back doesn't mean that is what everyone has to do.  Leave people alone.  No one anointed any of us as the fishing police anyways.  Beside, my pops has been known to go out and catch fish for his freezer (all legal).  I would love for one of you jackwagons that think it is cool or funny to mess with people to try something with him.  Hope you have someone with you to help pick you up and help you find your teeth cause people like me will think it is funny to teach you a lesson.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Die thread, DIE!!

[00 mod]

As Kent says,

 

"Good night Irene!"